AP Poll ballot breakdown: FSU's statement, top-10 makeover

Florida State running back Devonta Freeman (8) makes the catch against Clemson defensive back Martin Jenkins (14) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Clemson, S.C. Florida State won 51-14.

Richard Shiro, Associated Press

Summary

Breaking down The Associated Press college football poll after Week 8 of the regular season.

Breaking down The Associated Press college football poll after Week 8 of the regular season.

Florida State has been a tease in recent seasons.

Plenty of talent, some impressive steps forward, but always a few frustrating steps back.

For the first time since Bobby Bowden's Seminoles were in the midst of one of the great runs in college football history back in the 1990s, Florida State looks ready for a serious run at the national championship.

Florida State moved up to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll after a wild weekend produced an extensive makeover of the Top 25.

Alabama is still No. 1, Oregon still second and Ohio State still fourth, but otherwise there was much movement.

Florida State moved up two spots after its 51-14 win at Clemson on Saturday night.

The Crimson Tide received 55 first-place votes from the media panel. Oregon got three first-place votes and Florida State received two, the first time the Seminoles have gotten first-place votes since Sept. 2, 2002. Florida State is 6-0 for the first time since 1999, its last national championship season.

The BCS standings come out later Sunday and Florida State will be in the mix with Alabama and Oregon for those top two spots.

The Seminoles destruction of Clemson has to count as the most impressive performance of the season.

Coach Jimbo Fisher's team is built similarly to Alabama — Fisher was Tide coach Nick Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU — so in many ways they're easy to compare.

Playmakers everywhere on offense, with Florida State having better receivers and Alabama better backs. NFL prospects on all three levels of the defense.

One clear advantage for Florida State is at quarterback, which might seem hard to believe considering AJ McCarron has led the Tide to two national titles and is so much more than the game-manager he has been too often labeled. But redshirt freshman Jameis Winston has quickly put himself in the Andrew Luck category of college quarterbacks. Winston looks as if he could play in the NFL right now and not be overwhelmed.

"The guy is a competitor," Fisher said after Winston threw for 444 yards against Clemson. "He steps up in the moment, but we played well around him."

Florida State has passed its big test, but it has been the little ones that have tripped up FSU in recent years.

Last season it was a loss at North Carolina State. The year before a loss at Wake Forest. In 2010, a loss at NC State.

The Wolfpack is next up for the Seminoles back at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, before what could be another top-10 matchup against the rival Miami Hurricanes on Nov. 2 in Tallahassee.

Florida State is back? That can be said with more confidence now than at any point in the last decade.

MOVING UP

Five teams ranked in last week's top 10 lost to opponents that were lower-ranked or unranked.

The result: Missouri and Baylor both made big leaps into the top five.

Missouri went from 14 to fifth, its best ranking since 2008. No. 6 Baylor jumped to its highest ranking since 1980.

Miami is No. 7, followed by Stanford, Clemson and Texas Tech at No. 10.

Missouri's rise has been startling. The Tigers went 5-7 in an inauspicious and injury plagued Southeastern Conference debut last year. The Tigers improved to 7-0 on Saturday by beating Florida, a week after beating Georgia, and took firm control of the SEC East.